Folding basket.



W. A. SNYDER. FOLDING BASKET. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 17, 1908.

Patented Aug. 31, 1909.

MN VNwnN N NW N m @Qw Q/Vitnemwm Kg) R as WILBUR A. SNYDER, OF AVIS,' PENNSYLVANIA.

FOLDING BASKET.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Aug. 31, 1909.

Application filed November 17, 1908. Serial No. 63,031.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, TIL-BUR A. SNYDER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Avis, in the county of Clinton and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful lmprovelnents in Folding Easkets, of which the following a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to improvements in folding baskets.

The object of the invention is to provide a device of this character which will be simple, strong and durable in construction, which may be quickly and easily folded or collapsed to occupy but little space so that it can be conveniently carried when empty and which may be as readily opened to provide a rigid and substantial basket.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists of the novel features of construction and the combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described and claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a top plan view of the improved basket showing it opened for use; Fig. 2 is a side elevation wit-h parts broken away and in section; Fig. 3 is a cross sec tion on the line 3 3 in Fig. 1; Fig. 4. is a top plan view showing the basket folded or collapsed; Fig. 5 is an enlarged bottom plan view of one end of the device showing it collapsed as in Fig. 4; and Figs. 6 and 7 are detail sectional views.

The improved basket is preferably constructed throughout of metal and it is of substantially rectangular shape when set up for use. It consists of two side sections 1, 2, two bottom sections 3, at hinged to the sides to swing upwardly a ainst their inner faces and two ends each composed of two hingedly connected sections 5, 6 which are in turn hinged to the sides 1, 2 so that when the basket is collapsed the ends 5, 6 fold inwardly upon themselves and between the sides 1, 2. Each of the sides 1, 2 and the ends 5, (3 is composed of upper and lower inverted U-shaped channeled bars 7, 8 united by a woven wire section 9, the upper edge of which is inserted in the channel of the upper bar 7 and the lower edge of which is secured to the top of the lower bar 8 by clips in the form of metal straps 10 passed through said section and bent around the bar 8, as shown in Fig. 7, its ends 11 being bent into the channel of said bar 8 to effect .ively unite said parts. The pivotal or hinge connections between the end sections 5, (3 and between said end sections and the side sections 1, 2 are in the form of rule joints and they are constructed by shaping the ends of the bars 7, 8, of both the side and end sections, to form overlapping pivot ears 12 to receive vertical pivots or pintles 13. The pivots 13 are in the form of rods which pass from the top to the bottom hinge or joint of each of the four corners and also at the center of the ends so that the sides and ends are materially strengthened and caused to fold evenly.

Each of the bottom sections 3, 4: consists of a surrounding rim 141: of metal which forms a frame covered by woven wire 15 or the like. The outer edge of each of said bottom sections is hingedly connected to the lower bar 8 of one of the side sections by means of hinge straps 16 bent around a pivot 17 formed upon the bar 8 by cutting or notching its edges and bending the same, the ends of the pivot straps 16 are engaged with the opposite sides of the rod or bar 1 and united to the same by a rivet or the like 18, as clearly shown in Fig. 6 of the drawings. This construction, it will be noted, provides a simple and inexpensive pivot or hinge connection which enables the bottom sections to swing upwardly against the inner faces of the wire sections 9 of the sides so that the sides and ends can fold together into close contact, as shown in Figs. 4c and 5. For the purpose of supporting the bottom sections 3, 4 when dropped to a horizontal position to serve as the bottom of the basket, the inner flanges of the U-shaped lower bars of the end sections 8, 8 are notched, as shown at 19, and portions of them are bent inwardly to provide tongues 20 which serve to support said bottom sections 3, 4, as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings. To further support the inner or free edges of the bottom sections 3, 4 and cause them to lie fiat or in the same horizontal plane, strapsQl are secured zit-22 to the free edge of each of said bottom sections so as to project over and rest upon the corresponding portion of the other bottom section, as clearly shown in Fig. 1. These projecting straps or tongues 21 are preferably arranged in pairs, one pair being adjacent each end of the basket.

For the purpose of enabling the basket to be conveniently carried, it is provided with two flexible handles 23, 24 made of wire rope or the like. These handles are each. secured at one end, as shown at 25, to the upper bars 7 of the side sections 1, 2 and adjacent to the ends of said bars 7 and the other ends of said handles are provided with snap hooks 26 to engage eyes 27 arranged on the bars 7 ad jacent to their opposite ends. When the basket is opened or set up for use, as shown in Fig. 1, the handle 23 which is attached at 25 to the side 2 has its snap hook 26 engaged with the eye 27 on the other side 1; and the other handle 24.- whioh is attached at 25 to the side 1 has its snap 26 engaged with the eye 27 on the other side 2 so that the intermediate portions of said handles may be brought together and grasped in one hand, as will be understood upon reference to Figs. 1 and 2. VJ hen the basket is folded, side 2 while the other handle 24 has its snap hook 26 disengaged from the eye 27 on the side 1 and engaged with the eye 27 on the side 2 while the other handle 24: has its snap hook similarly reversed. The intermediate portions of the two handles may then be brought together and grasped in one hand so that the device may be conveniently carried when folded.

In using the basket, assuming it to be in its open position shown in Figs. 1 and 2, when it is desired to. fold it the bottom sections 3, t are first swung upwardly against the inner faces of the sides 1, 2 and the end sections 5, 6 are then folded inwardly against each other and between said sides, their folding movement bringing the sides together, as shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings. The handles may then be reversed as above explained.

lVhen the basket is folded it may be quickly and easily opened or set up for use by reversing the operation just described.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the invention provides an exceedingly simple foldable basket which will be comparatively inexpensive to manufacture, which will be light in weight and at the same time strong and durable and which will be convenient to fold up and to open or unfold for use and also easy to carry in either its open or folded position.

lVhile the preferred embodiment of the invention has been shown and described in detail it will be understood that various changes in the form, proportion and minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed is:

1. The herein described folding basket comprising rigid sides, inwardly folding ends composed of sections hinge'dly connected to each other and to the ends of the sides by vertical pivots, bottom sections hinged to the sides to swing upwardly against the inner faces of the same, inwardly projecting tongues upon the end sections to sup port. the bottom sections when the latter are lowered, tongues upon the free edge of each of the bottom sections to engage the corresponding edge of the other bottom section to maintain the bottom sections in the same horizontal plane, eyes upon the sides adjacent to diagonally opposite corners, and flexible handles having one end attached to said sides adjacent to diagonally opposite corners and provided at their opposite ends with hooks to detachably engage said eyes.

2. A folding basket comprising rigid sides, inwardly folding ends composed of sections hinge'dly connected to each other and to said sides by vertical pivots, each of said sides and said end sections being composed of up-. per and lower channeled bars united by a wire section, the latter having its edge secured in the channel of the upper bar, the clips 10 uniting the wire sections to the lower channeled bars of the side and end sections, a suitable bottom for the basket and handles for carrying the basket in either its open or folded position.

3. A folding basket comprising rigid sides,

inwardly folding ends composed of sections hingedly connected to each other and to said sides by vertical pivots, each of said sides and said end sections being composed of upper and lower channeled bars united by a wire section, pivots formed upon the lower channeled has of the sides by cutting and bending said bars, swinging bottom sections, hinge straps passed around said pivots on the lower bars of the sides and having their ends secured to the opposite sides of said bottom sections, whereby the latter will be hinged to swing upwardly and inwardly against the sides, means upon the end sections for supporting the bottom sections when lowered, and handles for supporting the basket in either its open or folded position.

In testimony whereof I hereunto atlix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

lVILBUR A. SNYDER. lVit-nesses HAZEL F. MOQUAY, N INA L. MARTlN. 

